BY AMANDA KOONCE
Orlando Sentinel Correspondent
LEESBURG, Florida

Jim Vary of The Villages isn't one to let many things stop him.

Like many people who dream of being a pilot, Vary wasn't satisfied until he was in the air.

But what makes him a different kind of pilot is that Vary has had a life-long profound hearing impairment.

No matter. He did it anyway.

Jim Vary began flying before retirement at age 59 but only recently earned his private certificate.

Born and raised in East Grand Rapids, Mich., doctors identified Vary's hearing problem when he was 1 month old, speculating but never officially concluding that his mother had contracted German measles during the first trimester of her pregnancy.

"I feel very fortunate that I had early identification and early intervention," said Vary, who now ably comprehends speech by assembling some vowel sounds he hears through hearing aids and consonant sounds he reads from people's lips.

At only 9 months old, he began receiving the special linguistic training that taught him to make use of the remaining 2 percent of his hearing. He attended an oral-deaf school in Grand Rapids, where he learned to feel and control the vibrations of his voice so his speech is neither unconsciously too loud or too quiet.

Vary, 59, moved to The Villages with wife, Carolyn, just six months ago after his company merged with another in August 2001 and offered an attractive retirement package, accepted by nearly everyone in the data-processing department where he worked.

Retirement has not marked the end of Vary's working days, as he's opening a business solutions company with brother-in-law Ken Carpenter of Ormond Beach.

Vary began his flight training in Michigan, where he completed the Federal Aviation Administration's ground school and began pursuing the longtime interest.

"I've been exposed to aviation since I was around 8 or 9 years old, and I can remember wanting to do this when I was young," he said.

However, between work and other activities, it was only possible to schedule flight lessons about once every other weekend, and he found himself repeating material.

After retirement, he flew three or four times a week and gained enough experience to earn his private-pilot license by June of this year.

He said with his hearing impairment, he cannot understand radio communication, but there's no radio requirement to earn a private-pilot rating. He pointed out that only around 20 percent of airports in the country have control towers anyway.

There are some limitations to where Vary and other deaf pilots can fly because certain zones, such as the airspace surrounding Orlando International Airport, require radio communication, but there are plenty of other places where Vary can land a plane, and he's not concerned by the limits.

He now has accumulated around 75 hours of flying time and has resumed training with Penny Wilson of Triangle Aviation Service at the Leesburg Municipal Airport. He's receiving instruction in instrument and commercial flying, though his hearing impairment will prevent him from earning either rating.

"I can't use the radio, which is required for an instrument rating, but I want to have the proficiency," Vary said.

He's already looking forward to the day he can make a long, cross-country trip, perhaps back to Michigan to visit three of the couple's four children, who still live there. He estimates that it'll be another two or three years before he feels confident enough in his proficiency to purchase and begin flying a plane of his own, but it's just a matter of time.

To others with substantial hearing loss who want to earn a private-pilot license, Vary has two bits of advice. First, he said they should be aware that there's an International Deaf Pilots Association with membership in the United States, Australia and France. He suggests that any deaf person interested in flying contact him or one of his fellow members to act as a mentor.

In July, Vary attended the annual weeklong IDPA fly-in at the group's headquarters in Frederick, Md., where 48 deaf pilots from the United States and a contingency of 33 from France all gathered for the usual banquets and receptions, but also for flying excursions to nearby airports and other attractions.

In addition, Vary recommends that before a hearing-impaired person goes out for flying lessons, he or she should enroll in the FAA ground school and subscribe to one or more aviation publications to learn the vocabulary involved with flying.

"It's almost like learning a new language," he said. Vary read flying magazines for four years before he actually began taking lessons.

Wilson, a longtime pilot and flight instructor who just reached 17,520 hours of flying, said Vary is her first student with any type of serious impairment, and she's been impressed with his success.

"It makes you realize, if he can do it, a lot of people who think they can't really can," she said.

Copyright (c) 2002, Orlando Sentinel. Reprinted by permission.

Minnesota foundationhonors Bonham Crossfor volunteer serviceLast Nov. 22, the McKnight Foundation honored 11 Minnesotans with Virginia McKnight Binger Awards in Human Service for 2002. One of the recipients is Bonham Cross, a DPA member and a World War II veteran who flew B-25 Mitchells in combat.The annual McKnight awards recognize exceptional volunteers who demonstrate the difference one person can make in serving others. The awards, each including a $7,500 check, were created in 1985 to honor Minnesota residents who give their time and energy to enhance the quality of life in their communities. Bonham's citation reads:"For giving hard-of-hearing people opportunities to participate in public life."While flying a combat plane in World War II, Bonham Cross partially lost his hearing. Although he isn't deaf, he understands the needs of deaf people. "He worked with the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens to persuade the legislature to establish the TTY text-messaging system, which enables deaf people to communicate with hearing people by phone. He volunteers with the Minnesota State Association of Self-Help for the Hard of Hearing (SHHH) and Vision Loss Resources/Deaf-Blind Services of Minn-esota and shows organizations how to adapt available technology so hard-of-hearing people can participate in meetings. "He has helped bring together those who have normal hearing and those who do not, so we can be one community and work together," said Rich Diedrichsen, president of SHHH.Other news aboutDPA's membersOur newest deaf private pilots are Matt Herrman of Glenwood, IA, and Toks Desalu, who flies out of Plainfield, IL. Matt is a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he was selected as one of 12 members of the university's flying team. He also was elected to Alpha Eta Rho, the national collegiate aviation fraternity. Toks, a student at Lewis University, passed his checkride on New Year's Eve 2002. Cheers to both Matt and Toks!Two DPA members who recently logged their 1,000th hours are Mark Stern, who owns a Piper Archer, and Henry Kisor, owner of a straight-tail Cessna 150.And a hearty welcome to the following new members of DPA: Carl Valeri, Spring, TX, a CFII with a deaf student pilot; John T. Mills, Manchaca, TX; Betsy Kath, Garner, NC; Schaefer Kath, Garner, NC, a student pilot; John Vary, The Villages, FL, a new private pilot; Caroline Vary, The Villages, FL; Isaac Rotman, Los Angeles, CA; Janet Seivert, Milwaukee, WI; Oscar Marcus, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Lila Marcus, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Jose Carols Dias, Le Pie Saint Gervais, France.